The Walking Dead Series Review (seasons 1&2)

Nothing has changed. Death is death it’s always been there. Whether it’s from heart attack, cancer or walker what’s the difference? You didn’t think it was hopeless before did you? And now there are people back at home trying to hang on and they need us. Even if it’s just to give them a reason to go on. Even if we don’t believe it ourselves. This isn’t about what we believe any more. It’s about them. –Rick Grimes.

Zombies. I’m reviewing a show about zombies. This entails I’ve been watching a show with zombies. Guilty as charged. Not only that, I’m loving this show with zombies. Anyone who knows me personally either gave me a single raised eyebrow (those who could pull off this feat, anyway) or thought I’d finally gone out of my mind (it’s been a long time coming).

It all started with the Middle East Film and Comic Con. There were celebrities there that I knew and a few I’d honestly never heard about. Laurie Holden, I’m ashamed to say, was the latter. So I did my research, found out she starred in this zombie show and sat down to see her in action. The episode I watched happened to be the season two premiere in which the American/Canadian actress told me she dislocated four ribs filming. And the fact that she shared this information with me should be enough to make readers realized that a.) I completely fell in love with the show from that very first episode. And b.) I also fell in love with Holden who was incredibly nice and signed a very cool photo for me.

Below is a brief spoiler free synopsis of the show, followed by an overview of the series (mild spoilers) and an in-depth review (spoilers galore) of the many interesting characters. Please note this post assumes readers have either seen the show or plan on watching it so not all plots will be explained before being critiqued.

Synopsis

RickGrimes (Andrew Lincoln) is a County Sheriff who suffered an injury on the job and went into coma. He wakes up one day in a hospital to find that the world as he knows it has become overrun with zombies. The town where he and his wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and son Carl (Chandler Riggs) were living in is deserted with his family nowhere to be found. He embarks on a journey to find them and meets other survivors along the way. The quest to avoid the zombies, “walkers” as some call them, and the dregs of humanity becomes a constant battle as Rick and his group search for a safe place to settle down in.

Overview (minor season one spoilers)

Why was I so taken with this show? The characters! This series is extremely character-centric and is chock-full of all the interaction I could ever want. Rick and Shane (Joe Bernthal), Rick’s deputy sheriff and best friend’s relationship is established in the very first episode ‘Days Gone Bye’ as they have lunch together. The two share ketchup (a true statement of brotherhood, if I ever saw one) and talk about the difference between men and women: a conversation Shane starts up to ease Rick into talking about his troubled marriage with Lori.

This interaction isn’t just reserved for the main players, either. There’s the beautifully written, absolutely lovely bond portrayed by the perfectly cast Andrea (Laurie Holden) and Amy (Emma Bell) as two very different sisters. In episode ‘Vatos’, the two argue their father’s preferred fishing technique before realizing he tailored his teaching methods to their individual needs, their different personalities. The former is a tough grown civil rights lawyer and the latter was born over a decade later, is the sweet, barely an adult, baby sister.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are red-necked brothers Merle and DarylDixon (played by two profoundly talented actors, Micheal Rooker and Norman Readus, respectively) Dixon. Merle is a man who, as Rick lightly puts it “doesn’t play well with others” and has no problem hurling out racist slurs. It’s hard to believe that anyone would bother tolerating the man much less love him enough to actually shed tears for him. But Norman Readus makes it happen in as real a manner as I’ve ever seen portrayed.

Then we have T-Dog (Irone Singleton) and Glenn (Steven Yeun). The former is a burly African American who is still a bit of a mystery so I can’t say much about him other than the fact that I enjoy his scenes very much. He seems to be a decent person, not vindictive, but in no way a pushover. Glenn is Korean America and a very cool character. The former pizza delivery boy is able to apply his knowledge of routes in missions to obtain supplies from the walker-infested cities. His talent is offset by his guileless personality played wonderfully by Yeaun.

Finally, Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) is the grandfather of the group. He treats Andrea and Amy as his surrogate daughters, and Glenn as his grandson and protégé, always teaching him to fix his beloved RV.

Review (major season two spoilers)

Shane

“Did you tell him that you thought you were a widow? And that you were grieving and that the world was coming to an end and that you needed comfort. Did you tell him it was a mistake? You know Lori that’s not true. What we had, it was real and it was a long time coming. It was real. It was you and it was me and it was real and it was right. Don’t say it wasn’t. Just think about what you felt, just for a second what you felt. Everything was falling around upon us. But it. It was the one good thing. You know it’s true.” –Shane, to Lori.

You know that thing writers do where they build up a relationship just to tear it apart? Well that’s what happened with Shane and Rick in season two. These two were my favorite part of the show in season one and continued for a while during season two. Episode ‘Bloodletting’ in particular demonstrates exactly why. After Carl gets shot, Shane looks out for Rick, wiping blood off his face and threatening to break his legs if he tried leaving his son (to get his mother). It absolutely broke my charaction (character- interaction) radar. Bro-love anyone? Shane held Rick together, looked after him like a mother would her child. It was spiritual. It was inspirational. It was beautiful. And it did not make me cry at all. Okay, that’s a lie. I cried and I’m proud of it. Lincoln and Bernthal’s performance was immaculate and the scene was seriously one of the most profound moments on television. Ever. And it made the breakup of the friendship and Shane’s death all the more tragic, damn it. Alas, it was inevitable.

In episode ’18 Miles Out’, Rick and Shane have the following exchange:

Rick: “You don’t love her. You think you do but you don’t.”

Shane: “When it started it was just a couple of weird stories on the news. Then it was so quick. Everything it just happened. Two weeks later I was in the hospital and soldiers were shooting people in the halls, they were shooting people man, not walkers. Then the walkers came through. You know I tried to get you out. I tried. But we weren’t going to make it and I knew it. But I couldn’t live with it. I couldn’t live knowing, but I had to. I didn’t keep Lori and Carl alive man, they kept me alive. I want you to know that I didn’t look at her before that. Brother if I could take it back, I would.”

Rick didn’t acknowledge either Shane’s emotions or his apology. I wonder if things would still have escalated to their physical confrontation if he had. But that doesn’t seem to matter. Even after Shane threw a sledgehammer (or wrench?) at Rick, Rick saved his life and tried to get things back the way they were. He tried making conversation, engaging Shane in their plans for the winter. The fact that Shane saw a walker at the beginning of the episode, and the same zombie at the end of it, and didn’t tell Rick about it in both instances showed that his frame of mind hadn’t changed at all despite their talk and was excellent foreshadowing.

Any heart I had left after walker Sofia came out of the barn in episode ‘Pretty Much Dead Already’ broke when Rick stabbed Shane, screaming at him that he’s the one who ruined their friendship. And yet, the situation is so grey, Shane’s character was so well defined and Bernthal’s performance so sympathetic that you just can’t hate him. Poor Shane. He’s what anime fans call a psycho-bunny. A tortured character. Shane’s scene with Carol in episode ‘Nebraska’ was very telling. He washes the grieving mother’s hands and tells her he’s sorry about her daughter, trying to comfort her, but at the same time is talking to her about how he’s not a bad person. It seemed like he too needed comfort. I guess it could just be he wanted to get her on his side, but it seemed to me that Shane needed someone to validate his existence. Lori and Carl had been it, his reason for living. And he couldn’t give that up. Who would? Ultimately, their love, possession, became more important to him than Rick’s friendship. Perhaps that’s the most tragic thing of all.

Lori

“I wish I can promise it’ll be all right in the end. I can’t. But we can make now all right. And we have to.”-Lori

Lori is a strange and interesting creature to me. In season one and two she was all about standing by her husband. Admirably so. But the vehemence in which she turned on Shane when she found out Rick was alive seemed unfair and like an overreaction. Don’t get me wrong, she had every right to be ticked off. What I don’t get is why she didn’t demand Shane explain himself after Rick first showed up. Did she automatically assume because they got together that Shane intentionally left Rick behind? Did she really think he would betray his friend like that? And if that were the case, if she really believed that, then why the change of heart, her later apologizing to Shane about what happened?

I posit that Lori’s initial resentment of Shane stemmed from her own sense of guilt (valid, or irrational, depending on your view) for not pushing him for the truth. For not making sure that her husband truly was dead before she and Carl ran away with Shane (see her repeated “I’m sorry” to Rick when he found them). Or, perhaps it is guilt for how quickly she got over her widow’s status and started a relationship with Shane. I wouldn’t presume to judge her character, people handle grief in different ways, I’m just suggesting that she might have felt guilty after her husband came back. I make absolutely no comment on whether she was right to feel that way or not.

That same guilt might be the cause of her irrational loathing to Rick after she finds out he killed her ex-lover. Why irrational? Because regardless of whether what Rick did was right or wrong, Lori was the one who told him that Shane was dangerous. She was the one who went all Lady Macbeth on him and whispered into his ear that Shane thought she and her baby were his: “You killed the living to protect what’s yours? Shane thinks I’m his. He thinks the baby is his. And he says you can’t protect us. That you’re going to get us killed. He’s dangerous, Rick, and he won’t stop.”

Seriously, she had basically told Rick it was okay to kill people to protect her and Carl; because they were his. So why all the shock when Rick acted on the danger Shane presented? On the danger she warned Rick against?

Guilt again presents itself as the likely conclusion to me. Lori felt guilty for the way she had treated Shane after all he’d done for her. This is evidenced by how she (misguidedly) apologized and thanked Shane on the very day of his death. This was an extremely bad move on her part as it gave the volatile Shane hope and fed more into his Cane persona. But instead of realizing and acknowledging the role she had in Shane’s demise (I wonder if it even occurred to her) she quickly turns to Rick and puts all the blame on him. Of course. It’s much easier to blame Rick than put two and two together and understand that Shane tried to kill her husband the very same day she told Shane she’s grateful for him and she’s not sure whose baby she’s carrying. I’d bang my head against the wall repeatedly in frustration here only I still have a residual concussion from Jane’s season 4 stupidity on the Mentalist so I’ll just settle for a face-palm and you all will have to take my word for how irked I am by her behavior here. Could it be as simple as pregnancy hormones are playing around with Lori’s emotions? *dodges tomatoes*Seriously, those are no joke!

It might be that Lori actually loved Shane. That emotion is certainly blameless considering what they had been through together. But unless she has ADD there’s no explanation for how she magically forgot her warning to Rick. Or the bruises Rick had after he and Shane went to drop off the hostage. Yes, Rick didn’t tell her what happened but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out they beat the crap out of each other. Again, after she told Rick to take care of Shane cause he was dangerous.

It could also be that Lori felt betrayed by Rick himself. Yes, she told him Shane was dangerous. But Rick is supposed to be a better man. This is the only explanation that makes any sort of sense to me especially if we consider how Lori told Rick that, in a world like this, Carl needs a “father like you”. Sadly, in protecting the group from the possible danger Shane presented, Rick is now risking turning into him. His kindness, compassion, and tolerance; Lori might think all the things that she loves about him don’t exist anymore. After all, he killed his best friend.

Note: In a cast interview, each actor talks about his/her character. I found actress’s Wayne-Callies perspective on Lori and her marriage with Rick a very insightful look into her character.

Rick

“That is my wife. That is my son. That is my unborn child. I will stay alive to keep them alive.”-Rick

We saw how Shane changed after he killed Otis; became jaded, bitter, commandeering and entitled. The exact same thing seems to be happening to Rick after he killed Shane. Rick represented all that was good in what some of the characters see as a God-forsaken world. He carried the torch, the burden of hope for so long, alone, that he was bound to crack at some point. There were small hints. The loss of Sofia and Carol’s blame obviously wracked at him. The loss of Shane’s support and his undermining Rick’s every decision gnawed at him continuously. Then Lori told him about her affair with Shane; which her husband states that “of course” he knew about, subconsciously, but that he’d ignored it.

We see him kill a couple of men in a bar with little regret because they posed a threat to Hershel’s farm; the group’s safety, and his family. But the biggest blow of all must have been when Shane tried to kill him the first time (that Rick knew about anyway). His best friend, telling Rick that he can’t protect his family, that Shane could, and Shane’s final attempt to murder Rick was the final straw. The showdown between the two, and in particular Rick stabbing Shane after he talked him down was nasty, so unlike himself. The hunted became the hunter with devastating effect.

I’ve talked about Shane and Lori, and everyone’s emotional state as excuses for their behavior. It’s ironic that the only one in the group that no one is cutting any slack (save Daryl) is Rick. He’s trying to do the best for the group, and he gets criticized for it. He has completely lost his support system now. His best friend. His wife. Even nice Glenn blames him for not telling them that they were all infected. Glenn says that he told the group about the walkers in the barn because it was for the best of them. Rick rightly points out that he thought it was best if they hadn’t known. I would also point out that while the walkers in the barn were an imminent threat, the knowledge Rick denied the group wasn’t. Also, when Glenn apologized to Rick for not telling him about Lori’s pregnancy, for getting her the abortion pills, Rick forgave him for that immediately. Quote: “You did what you thought was right. Just so happens it wasn’t.” What I’m wondering is why Glenn is finding it so hard to do the same for Rick?

The only answer I’m getting is that the group holds Rick to a much higher standard than they do each other. He’s their leader. Therefore, he’s supposed to be perfect. Yeah, it doesn’t work that way. The only person who seems to get it is Daryl, and Hershel; arguably the two wisest people; one due to the unfortunate circumstances hinted at of his upbringing, the other because of the years he has on the others.

Speaking of Daryl, he is my (and Rick’s) only solace after Shane’s loss. His increasing support and role he plays within the group makes me think of him as Rick’s new right arm. Lets hope he can serve as Rick’s rock now as well, he’ll certainly need one.

Please note Daryl’s use of “our” here. This loner has come a long way since season one! The once volatile man now seems to be the calmest member of the group. Perhaps his troubled upbringing is what allows him to keep a calm head even in these hellish circumstances. Very little seems to faze him, which is why it was so entertaining seeing him so stirred over the loss of Sofia and Carol’s grief in ‘What lies ahead’.

Then there was the Cherokee Rose story. Again, it was one of the most profound moments I’ve seen on television (this show has quite a lot of them). To see such kindness, such a sentimental tale, coming from such an awkward, rough man; it is no wonder Carol seems to be taken with Daryl ever since then. That, and that she seems to have substituted him for her late dead husband. In episode ‘Chupacabra’, after Daryl comes back to camp, half dead after taking one of his own arrows in the side while searching for Sofia, Carol tells him that “You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did.” When Daryl says he just did what Shane or Rick would have Carol points out “I know. You’re every bit as good as them. Every bit.”

Once can only guess the extent of the affect this acknowledgement had on Daryl. Throughout that entire episode he was plagued with an apparition of his brother, telling him he was wasting his time helping people that didn’t give a whit about him. Merle’s memory kept dogging Daryl and putting him down, while simultaneously encouraging him to stay alive. This type of tough “love” is obviously something Daryl had to live with his entire life; we later see his torso is covered with long scars of abuse. Daryl telling his brother that he never looked out for him had to have been some sort of catharsis for him (and perhaps, foreshadowing for how things might go if (when) the brothers are reunited). Then the poor man got shot by his own people when Andrea mistakes him for a walker. Carol’s kindness must have been like a cold drink of water in the desert for him. What I’m wondering is what drove him to search for Sofia in the first place? Just Carol’s tears?

In an interview, Readus stated that searching and finding Sofia became sort of a quest for Daryl; that had he found her it would have helped heal old wounds. I’d like to add that as a tracker, Daryl leading the search allowed him to integrate more with the group, become a real part of it. Upon Sofia’s loss, he willingly reverted to his outcast status. Or would have, anyway, if Carol hadn’t interfered.

In episode ‘Triggerfinger’, Carol seeks out Daryl to keep an eye on him telling him “you’ve earned your place.” Daryl tells her “Ain’t you a peach” and takes the opportunity to vent out his grief and frustration. He tells Carol that Sofia wasn’t his, that it was Carol’s fault her girl died because she didn’t keep her eye on her. He screams the last part and Carol recoils in fear. Her reaction seemed to wake Daryl from his enraged fit, and he looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. Could it be that it was the first time he realized that, like himself, Carol too had been a victim of abuse? One would assume that the Peletier family situation was common knowledge (i.e. the women tried to protect her from her husband in season one’s episode ‘Tell it to the Frogs’) but to the Dixon brothers, who based on Daryl’s habits one can only assume weren’t exactly sociable, it might be that he never knew.

Whether he did or not, the look he gave her after she flinched, and her looking at him evenly in return represented a very significant moment. What I would give to have seen what happened off-screen afterwards. The following morning, Daryl rejoins Shane and the others, ready to go into town to search for Rick, Hershal, and Glenn; despite his refusing to do so when Lori had asked him to the day before. And when the others convene in the farmhouse to discuss what to do with Randall, Daryl shows up, nodding at Carol who smiles at him in acknowledgment. It seemed that they had come to terms one way or another the previous evening. Daryl’s expression seemed to say“See, I’m here. You happy?” but the moment is offset later by him practically rolling his eyes at her when she pauses by him on her way out the farm. You can almost hear him think “What the hell do you want from me?” before he takes off to avoid the older woman.

What does Carol want? It’s a legitimate question. One that Daryl comes right out and asks Carol later around the campfire (episode Beside the Dying Fire) when she talks to him about Rick. But that discussion is better saved for Carol’s character…

For now, I just have to say that Readus gave me some of my favorite moments on television this year. One scene in particular, his reaction to Carol’s “that’s not my little girl” speech when she refuses to attend her funeral: disappointment, disgust, hurt, but most of all, anguish, was a moment that should be screened in acting classes.

Carol

That’s not my little girl. That’s some other thing. My Sofia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought….She didn’t cry herself to sleep. She didn’t go hungry. She didn’t try to find her way back. Sofia died a long time ago.

The above quote was one of the most interesting/stirring moments Carol had, played perfectly by the lovely Melissa McBride. At first viewing, I felt the above speech insensitive considering all Daryl went through to find her daughter. Basically what she’s saying is that all this time Daryl was trying to find a walker. But then I realized that Carol here was too busy dealing with her own grief, choosing to believe something that made her feel better, to see the traumatic affect her words were having on Daryl. She more than makes up for it though, when she understands his rage is actually pain in disguise and allows him to vent it. It shows how wise she is.

But her other scenes…I don’t know whether to feel annoyed by her or to pity her. I didn’t like how quickly she was to give up on Sofia, to prioritize not losing Daryl when he wanted to go out looking for her despite his injury. I don’t mean that she shouldn’t have stopped him; but her reason for stopping him “I can’t lose you too”, when at that point she hadn’t known for sure that her daughter was lost…that grated on me. Although I acknowledge that that too could have been wisdom; she was being realistic. But then there was how quickly she turned on Rick because he didn’t tell the group about them all being infected. Honestly, what would it have mattered if they’d known? Perhaps she still blames Rick for her daughter’s fate and that explains why she wants Daryl to lead instead?

Carol: “We’re not safe with him.”

But her method was a bit too manipulative for my tastes.

“Why do you need him? He’s just going to pull you down.”

And when Daryl tells her Rick’s done all right by him she replies: “You’re his henchman. And I’m a burden. You deserve better.”

This is where Daryl outright asks her: “What do you want?”

Carol replies: “A man of honor.”

She tells Daryl that she’s a burden. Perhaps she means in the way that she’s unable to fight. But she pulls her weight around as much as everyone else doing what she knows to do: chores. It’s a boring job but someone has to do it. And Carol, unlike Lori, has never complained about it besides wishing for her washing machine. And that was just plain endearing. What I found annoying is her weakness. It is, however, in character considering the fact that she was the wife of an abuser all these years. I do hope we’ll see some growth from her though. That might have been what her statement to Daryl “I’m a burden, you deserve better” is about: foreshadowing. That would be great because it would explain a line that bother me a bit. Not only was it out of the blue, but unless there is something going on between these two off screen that we don’t know about, it seemed very presumptuous. I mean, just because Daryl saved Carol’s life, and looked out for her on occasion doesn’t mean that Carol is his, or vice versa. Or that there’s anything between them other than that they are friendly kindred spirits (given their pasts). Right? But then, what other subtext can there be for a statement such as “You deserve better?” besides “someone better than me” in a romantic context? I honestly tried and couldn’t come up with one. Perhaps it was the writers’ way to hint at more development between the two next season? If that’s the case, I’m all for it. I’d be interested to see how a relationship between the two would work out; it has a lot of potential. But I hope one isn’t built the better to kill off one of them and break our hearts. We’ve had enough of that to last us a few seasons, thank you very much. Although, if Carol was killed, that has a lot of great potential for a Daryl storyline too…Aw, crap. Who am I kidding. Of course she’s gonna die 😦

Maggie/Glenn

“I’ve never had a woman say that to me before except my mom, of course, and my sisters.”-Glenn, to Rick, on how Maggie said she loves him.

One can only hope Glenn and his Maggie (Lauren Cohan) at least remain alive and happy. They are a cute couple. More than that, the farmer’s daughter has been very good for Glenn. Maggie’s innate sense of Glenn’s worth and her desire for him to recognize it can be good for the mild-mannered Korean. He certainly needs someone to help build his confidence. And Maggie truly cares for him, even if, at the beginning, it only seemed like she wanted a fling. The down side is, like Carol, she doesn’t seem to trust Rick and doesn’t want Glenn to either. But she’s a great character. One of my favorite moments was her slapping Shane and asking him if he hadn’t done enough, putting him in his place.

Hershel

Ahh, Hershel. While Scott Wilson deserves ever pretty cent his agent undoubtedly negotiated, I hope his fees weren’t so pricy that his getting killed off would be convenient for the producers. Recurring guest stars with the power of veteran actors really add an extra umph! to any television show. This was something I missed sorely on the Mentalist season four; particularly after the impressive guest cast of the previous season (amongst which was Pruitt Taylor Vince, who incidentally guest starred here too.) I was glad Hershel didn’t go down with his farm. His presence and respect for Rick is sorely needed and I hope he remains for a good while. Plus, I love Scott Wilson.

Andrea

“Shane has done more to keep the group alive than anybody. Including Rick.”

I really like Andrea. She’s fair minded, clever, and represents the only female character willing, and able, to get down and think for herself without relying on the/a man in her life…up to a point anyway.

She wanted to learn to defend herself so she asked Shane to teach her. She wanted Shane, so she initiated a tryst with him. She wanted to help take care of the group, and she did. She saved Carol’s life with little thought of her own. Even got left behind for her efforts (I wonder how she’ll feel about that if she ever gets reunited with the group).

That’s not to say she’s perfect. Far from it. For one, she forgot that while she’s free to make her own decisions, Beth is still very young. And while Andrea’s words to Lori,that she got through wanting to kill herself are true, she seems to have conveniently forgotten that she wouldn’t have had the chance if she had died at the CDC like she wanted to, if Dale hadn’t intervened. Then there’s what she told Dale: that she’s not his problem because they’re not related. So how can she justify butting into Beth’s situation?

Like Lori, who’s judgment is compromised due to her emotions (namely anger and guilt) Andrea judgement is less than perfect because she seems to try to overcompensate for being a woman. She doesn’t want to be perceived as weak and that makes her rash. She accidentally shot Daryl because she was excited to see if she could shoot a “walker” from a far distance. This, despite the fact that everyone knows walkers should be killed as silently as possible, whenever possible. Also, Rick and the others had all been on their way to take care of the problem. What if she had missed and shot one of them instead? Then there was her allowing Amy to commit suicide if she wanted. It doesn’t matter if it had been the right decision or not; it wasn’t Andrea’s decision to make. Amy is not an adult. Maggie had trusted Andrea to look out for her sister, and she didn’t. In that sense, she was very much like Shane who forced his opinion onto Hershal and killed all the walkers when it hadn’t been his place to do so. Regardless, her character deserves to be admired and I wish more of the women would be a bit like her.

Dale

” Is this what its come to? We kill someone because we can’t decide what else to do with them? If we do this the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead. And this new world is ugly. Its harsh, its survival of the fittest. And that’s a world I don’t want to live in. I don’t believe any of you do. Please. lets just do what’s right. Isn’t there anybody else that’s going to stand with me?”

Sniff. I love Dale. I love his smile, I love Jeffrey DeMunn’s delivery. I love his characters earnestness, and I was broken-hearted to see him die. The group (and the show) truly lost something special. But I have a feeling that what’s coming in season three would be worse than anything Dale could have handled, would have wanted to handle. So, rest in peace.

Best Lines

“Won’t that be the way? World gone to hell. The dead risen up to eat the living, and Theodore Doug gets done in by a cut on his arm.”-T-Dog

“I don’t see you and I trading haymakers off the side of the road. I’ll be the one to win that fight.”-Daryl to Rick.

“Our world as we know it is gone. But keeping our humanity, that’s a choice!”-Dale

“Playing house acting like the queen bee laying rules for everyone but yourself.”-Andrea, to Lori.

“You don’t get it do you. You’re husband came back from the dead. Your son too and now you’ve got a baby on the way.” You’re the one that’s self centered. The way you take it all for granted.”-Andrea, to Lori.

“Told some story, about how Otis covered him. He showed up with the dead guy’s gun. Rick ain’t stupid. If he didn’t figure it out its because he didn’t wanna. Like I said, this group is broken.”-Daryl to Dale.

I’m so busy with my own career so I don’t know if I’ll be able to review individual episodes of this show, but it won’t be for lack of trying. Now that I got this post off my chest, I can watch the new season without feeling guilty I hadn’t fully expressed my love for the previous ones 🙂 Thank you Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard for creating the graphic novel that inspired the show. Frank Darabont for developing the television show and producing it along with Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Glen Massara, Gale Anne Hurd. Also, the entire cast, crew, and of course AMC for airing it. You all rock!

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3 responses to “The Walking Dead Series Review (seasons 1&2)”

I was surprised as well that I was watching a zombie show. I quickly realized that it really isn’t about the zombies, it is about the survivors. I loved Shane and was so upset when he died. I must admit, Dale annoyed me and I actually cheered when the walker got him (evil, I know). Now I spend every episode hoping Lori is next. And you nailed it – Lady Macbeth is the perfect way to describe her.

I hope you find some time to review the new individual episodes (although I understand if you can’t) – I love your Mentalist reviews and know you would have great insights on this as well.

Hi RB! I somehow I ended up here from your Mentalist reviews and was very pleased to discover that you’re a TWD fan too! I know exactly what you mean about the misconceptions: I never thought I’d be loving a ‘zombie show’ either, but I’m so glad I finally gave in to pressure from my brother to watch the pilot… 😉 The iconic nature of the opening scenes… And I really *cared* right away about those characters and the difficult choices they have to make… Brilliant human conflicts, expertly crafted tension, fascinating questions about human nature, great acting… Daryl, Rick, Hershel… I just love them. I know there’s a high death rate, and I feel devastated each time someone gets killed. I’m not quite as obsessed about it as I am about The Mentalist, but it runs a close second. 😉

Thanks for these couple of reviews (I read your season 3 one first, lol); I’ve enjoyed reading them and I hope that you get the chance to do more. Maybe. 😉 I know it must be extremely difficult to fit it all in! But if not, I wish you happy viewing for the new season!!